Melaleucoides rhaphiophyllae, Schuh & C. Weirauch, 2010

Schuh, R. T. & C. Weirauch, 2010, Myrtaceae-Feeding Phylinae (Hemiptera: Miridae) From Australia: Description And Analysis Of Phylogenetic And Host Relationships For A Monophyletic Assemblage Of Three New Genera, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (344), pp. 3-94 : 55-57

Melaleucoides rhaphiophyllae , new species Figure 26, map 4, plate 3

DIAGNOSIS: Most similar to M. uncinatae in the heavily castaneous coloration (pls. 3, 4) of the dorsum, but with the apex of the scutellum and the base of the cuneus pale. Distinguished from that species by the different form of the phallotheca and the left paramere (figs. 26, 31), the endosoma of M. rhaphiophyllae being unknown.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body moderately elongate, parallel sided; mean total length 2.87, mean width pronotum 1.22. COLOR- ATION (pl. 3): Head: Uniformly dark; scapus brown; pedicellus unicolorous black or castaneous; labium generally infuscate, heavily so apically. Thorax: Pronotum unicolorous deep red to black; scutellum red or dark brown with white or pale tip; corium and clavus mostly castaneous, markings on cuneus present as a contrasting white basal fascia, remainder castaneous to black; membrane fumose, veins white; hind femur with many brown or black spots; hind tibial spines with conspicuous dark spots at bases. Abdomen: Venter heavily red laterally. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum with golden reclining setae; dorsum without sericeous or woolly setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Weakly projecting; interocular space moderate; eyes leaving gena broadly exposed in lateral view. Antenna: Segment 2 weakly tapering, more slender at base; antennal fossa with dorsal margin somewhat below ventral margin of eye. Labium: Just reaching onto abdomen. Thorax: Pretarsus: Pulvilli present, flaplike, covering about one third of ventral claw surface. GENITALIA (fig. 26): Endosoma: All available specimens teneral and therefore not observed. Phallotheca: Nearly erect; dorsal surface with a fingerlike projection; apex simple. Left Paramere: Shaft in same axis as body; body spoon shaped; apex medially angulate; anterior process triangular in lateral view; posterior process in the form of a short, curved, fingerlike projection; base of posterior process with distinct shoulder. Right Paramere: Body short and broad, lanceolate; apex short, clawlike, decurved.

Female: Slightly more ovoid than male; mean total length 2.98, mean width pronotum 1.20. COLORATION (pl. 3): Paler than male. GENITALIA: Not examined.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the host species, Melaleuca rhaphiophylla (Myrtaceae) .

HOSTS: Melaleuca rhaphiophylla Schauer (Myrtaceae) (pl. 5D); Melaleuca sp.

DISTRIBUTION (map 4): Known from two localities on the Carnamah Shire Coast (obscured on the map) and the eastern agricultural region in Western Australia.

DISCUSSION: All available male specimens for this species were apparently partially teneral, because after several dissections we were unable to find a specimen in which the endosoma was suitably sclerotized for observation and illustration.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Brand Hiway 8.2 km N of Eneabba, 29.7462uS 115.254uE, 100 m, 31 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Melaleuca rhaphiophylla Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05120195, 1 - (AMNH_PBI 00128826) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Brand Hiway 8.2 km N of Eneabba, 29.7462uS 115.254uE, 100 m, 31 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Melaleuca rhaphiophylla Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05120195, 4 - (00087265–00087266, 00128827, 00372296), 2 U (00128828, 00372298) ( AM), 2 - (00372294, 00372297) ( AMNH), 1 - (00372295), 1 U (00128829) ( WAMP).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Western Australia: Moorine Rocks, 11.7 km N of Great Eastern Hiway on

Noongar Road, 31.22843uS 118.979uE, 345 m, 04 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Asquith, Melaleuca sp. (Myrtaceae) , det. field ID; host 97-06, 1 - (00371776), 1 U (00371777) (AMNH).